Ramble to a tiny Chinese Thai village in Bangkok

Wonderful old Chinese style doors line the passageways through the village.

Bangkok Photo Rambles (my fellow photographer friend Jeremiah Boulware and I) set out once again to explore a tiny traditional Thai village tucked away between one of Bangkok's busiest roads and the main east-west klong (canal), Saen Saeb. It was a short distance by foot from the main road, but quite a distance away in time: except for the obvious modern conveniences of motorcycles and smart phones, it hasn't changed much in the last century. The Chinese style wooden homes have the original boards and doors from a hundred years ago.

As usual, the residents were wonderfully accommodating, not only welcoming our intrusion into their humble lives, but gladly allowing us to photograph cheewit thai ("Thai life"). When two westerners over six feet tall wander down the narrow lanes, it's impossible for them to be unobtrusive, no matter how hard they try. People waved and said "Sawat dee" ("Hello!") as we rambled. It is one of the great things about living in Thailand.

I hope you enjoy this pictorial of our latest walk through a Bangkok Thai Chinese village. A full album of photos of our excursion with images from both photographers will be published soon in Bangkok Photo Rambles (https://www.facebook.com/photoramblers).

All photos are copyrighted by the author. No images may be used or reproduced without permission from the author. If interested in any image for non-commercial or commercial use, please contact me at stilesphoto@yahoo.com.

Jeremiah captures a photo of a Buddhist monk on his morning alms rounds.

Above many doorways are symbols and pictures that signify good fortune for the inhabitants, a Chinese tradition that has been adopted by many Thais.

Besides displaying good luck ornaments, the doors and walls are often painted in bright colors.

But most are left to weather naturally, giving an authentic, time worn appearance.

This accidental art piece left us wondering about the person who left his/her mark.

I had seen this fish processing area on a previous walk, but from another direction. It is a fascinating look at how fresh fish are prepared for the nearby market in Minburi, which is across the Saen Saeb canal.

The men who work here (we saw no women) begin each day receiving deliveries of fresh mackerel at 2:00 am, and work until about 9:00 cleaning, cooking and packing the fish into small baskets. Here a man boils the fish after they have been cleaned. "How long are they boiled?" "Three minutes."

This man is scooping fat from the surface as the fish boil. He then simply tosses it onto the ground next to the building.

This room is used to store the gas tanks, hand carts and baskets used in the processing. The morning light gave a beautiful cast to the wood and bricks.

This man carries the prepared and packaged fish to the market, which is about 300 meters away.

This woman carried freshly cooked chickens to the market, making several trips while we were there. She said that she has been doing this since she was a child.

This old boarded up window and the now unused concrete fish tank below it created a gorgeous palette of muted colors.

A woman washes dishes in her house as one of the many chickens she owns rests on the family motorbike. The fowl did not leave its spot for the hour we were in the vicinity.

A woman carries her grandson to the nearby preschool. Jeremiah records my documentation!

It is a unique cultural experience to walk through traditional neighborhoods and meet the residents, which results in a greater understanding and deeper appreciation for the people who live there.

Life in a canal-side village in Bangkok

Many of the bridges that span the canals are still the original wooden ones, but are being steadily replaced by concrete overpasses.

One of the pleasures of living in a large city (10 million) is that there are still delightful pockets of traditional life to be found not far off the major streets. Many canals ("klongs") remain, much fewer than a hundred years ago, but still major influences on the lives of thousands of villagers who live on them. This post is a record of a visit to one of many villages that lie between Ramkhamhaeng and Serithai Roads (also known by their previous pre-development names Sukhapibahn 3 and Sukhapibahn 2, respectively), large, busy parallel thoroughfares that traverse Bangkok's easternmost districts.

I have wandered through this village more than once (see Bangkok Photo Rambles  https://www.facebook.com/photoramblers/), and each time notice something new, greet people previously met, and am greeted by new friendly faces. During a recent ramble, photographer friend Jeremiah Boulware (https://jeremiahboulware.com/) and I returned to wander some familiar paths and to explore new ones. Here are my photo impressions. More will soon be posted on Bangkok Photo Rambles, including Jeremiah's images of the morning.

Note: All photos are copyrighted by the author. No images may be used for any purposes without permission. Please contact me at stilesphoto@yahoo.com

A typical scene of walkway construction along the canals. This one is made of concrete, which replaced the deteriorated wooden one.

Although the majority of the inhabitants are Muslim, there is a Chinese Buddhist temple in the middle of the village. 

A beautiful butterfly with a damaged wing kindly pauses for a photo.

As this was a major holiday, lottery sales were brisk. Here a man rides through the neighborhood with tickets to sell.

A beautifully weathered door with seashell adornments on the window grate. The planks at the bottom form a ramp for the owner's cat to freely access and leave the house.

There are many cats living in this village, which wander along the walkways, hiding in bushes and behind ceramic water tanks.

This old chain has apparently been repaired recently.

It is unusual to see lace curtains here. I do not know the origin of this one, which was folded over an outdoor railing.

A woman and her daughter set up their portable shop, which has items hanging from a frame on a pickup truck. This is a common sight in Thailand.

We chose to walk along a newly asphalted street tht runs along an adjoining klong that we had not explored before. There were many interesting sights along the way.

A small cement statuary piece. Children and animals are often depicted on these whimsical outdoor displays.

An elderly man collects twigs and branches from the canal banks and for a reason we could not determine, burns them.

This Chinese "spirit house" altar sits neglected under a tree near the bike path.

A young boy paddles a boat with his mother along the klong. When asked where they were going, she replied that her son enjoys going out in the boat, so they do it every once in a while.

Jeremiah captures images of a man checking his nets for fish and small river shrimp.

In the small nets were many small shrimp that he collected to be eaten, either dried or cooked. Many villagers still raise poultry and livestock, even in the city, or catch fish and/or plant fruit trees and gardens to supplement their diets.

In the large net were medium sized fish, which he left in, as the weight was too much for one person to manage and also collect the fish. He politely declined our offer to help; his wife will help him later.

As we left the klong and headed back toward the temple, we walked along a wider street that led us to a local school. Here another vendor cycles through the streets hoping for lottery ticket sales. 

A man sleeps alongside the street. Naps are a way of life here.

A broom salesman pedals through the streets, announcing his presence with a small bulb horn mounted on the handlebars. Each vendor's horn has a unique sound and rhythm, so residents know what product is coming their way.

A school van sits abandoned near the school.

Cooking pots in a window of the school's kitchen

A window in a passageway through canal-side shops.

A good luck ornament hangs above a house entrance.

A young girl gives a quick glance as she returns home from a nearby shop.

Two women wheel their portable grill (for making gai yang, or grilled chicken) from Ramkhamhaeng Road to the village. I was sorry that we were leaving, as gai yang is one of my favorite Thai foods, and it would take them awhile to cook it!

A man makes spicy papaya salad (som tam) on Ramkhamhaeng Road near the village. Many small food vendors were doing a brisk business on this holiday.

A woman from the village comes to buy food on Ramkhamhaeng Road.

A man sells many types of vegetables, including cooked corn (still warm) from his motorcycle. This is a common method of portable vending. We bought grilled chicken, spicy papaya salad and sticky rice before heading home.

Thank you for visiting this site. I hope you enjoyed the tour. Send questions and comments to me at stilesphoto@yahoo.com

Bangkok's Chinatown: Chinese new year 2018

Lunar new year celebration in Bangkok: Welcoming the Year of the Dog

Bangkok's Chinatown is purportedly the world's largest Chinese community outside of China. Chinese Thais make up a very large portion of the country's population (up to 40%; ethnic Chinese comprise 14%), and their impact socially, economically, culturally, religiously and politically, is enormous. It is estimated that 90% of the country's business investment is by Thai Chinese.

With such a large Chinese population, its celebration of the lunar new year is--not surprisingly--huge. Crowds of people jam the streets and temples of Chinatown for an all day celebration that includes three parades. I like to experience the colors, smells, sounds and sights each year. It is a high energy day of observing Thai-Chinese culture, and interacting with the friendly celebrants.

Following are photos taken sequentially during an eight hour visit to this large 200 year old community on 16 February 2018, the first day of the Year of the Dog. 

All photos are © by the author. It is illegal to use any of the images without permission. Use may be granted depending on intent. Please send an email to jsscience@yahoo.com.

Buddhist monks receive alms every day in Chinatown, as in all other locales in Thailand. On new year's first day, there were offerings galore throughout the large Thai-Chinese community. It's an important day to make new merit and pray for success in the upcoming year. Chinatown's eastern border is easily accessed across from the main train station, Hua Lamphong.

Throngs of people visited temples. This is the popular Chinese temple on Yaowarat Road, near the entry arch and next to Samitivej Hospital.

A young boy reaches in vain for the lit "toop" (incense sticks) held by his father at the temple.

A first time visitor watches as a merchant hangs colorful streamers to sell at the old Chinatown movie theater.

Foods of every kind, both Thai and Chinese, are available in large quantities everywhere, from the very traditional street food, seen cooking here, to the high priced menus in fine hotels throughout Chinatown.

These ladies are part of a large family that had gathered at a home in one of the small back streets of Chinatown. They graciously allowed me to take their portrait.

Street photographer Jeremiah Boulware has the tables turned on him as a curious Chinatown resident looks on.

A young woman in traditional Chinese dress strolls through a small alley of a residential and market area off of Yaowarat Road. The smoke is from charcoal grills and burning of "ghost money", a Chinese tradition thought to bring good luck.

This man, sporting a red new year shirt, smiles as he notices me with camera ready to take his photo. I was finishing up a lunch of noodles and fish in this small alley between Yaowarat and Charueng Kreung roads. The people of Chinatown, like most people in Thailand are very friendly and welcome interactions with foreigners.

Two teens pose with their lion parade costume in preparation for the first of three parades in Chinatown that day. As is often the case, I received a number of different starting times from those involved in the parades, and missed the first one while exploring, then left before the second one began, as I was extremely tired from my eight hour walk in 33C/90F temperatures!

A young boy inspects some of the parade finery prior to the procession on Yaowarat Road.

A street vendor carries toys along Yaowarat road.

I think I photobombed this group, but I tried to snap and quickly get out of the way! Yaowarat Road was closed to vehicular traffic all day and people took advantage to stroll and take photos.

It is difficult to explain exactly what this man was doing on one of the Yaowarat side streets. He had a radio and three animals: a duck, parakeet, and frog (he maintains that the frog is from Nepal). One cannot say that they have "seen everything" in Chinatown. There is always so much to discover, most of it completely surprising.

A small Chinese Buddhist temple entrance peeks out between the buildings. It is an invitation to discover more about this fascinating community.

Two men relax during this holiday on a small street while friends look on. They were playing "Chinese chess", similar to the western version, but with different moves. They were very friendly and did not mind pausing to chat.

A quiet space in a tiny alley

This area of Chinatown off of Chareung Kreung Road, known as Charueng Chai, is over 150 years old, and has many of the original homes and stores. These two doors exemplify the architecture and the traditional wooden folding doors of Chinese shop fronts. A woman whose family has lived on this street for 150 years said she is concerned that the new subway station built 100 meters away will bring in developers to build condominiums and destroy this unique area. 

A typical doorway, festooned with Chinese new year decorations

Not far from the bustling sidewalks and cramped alleyways, this man and his dog take time to relax, and why not? it is the Year of the Dog!

These two girls were squealing with delight as they played in an empty cardboard box.

I did not realize it at the time, but this young woman shopkeeper is the same one we met and talked to in another part of Chinatown (see photo #9 above). It was only as I was processing the images that I noticed it! It was at least two hours between shots as we aimlessly wandered the back streets.

At the entrance to Wat (Temple) Mai Yai Faeng north of Chareung Kreung Rd, a monk sprinkles holy water on people arriving and those wishing a blessing as they leave.

Young monks accept donations that will be used to replace tiles on the temple roof.

In a separate building is a wonderful collection of Buddha images.

At Poh Tek Tung charity foundation next to the temple, worshippers place incense sticks (joss or "toop") in sand to show devotion. The foundation building is not a temple, but inside it resembles one in many ways. It was so crowded that it was difficult to move through it.

Devotees follow a circular route, striking brass bells with wooden sticks to bring good luck.

At Poh Tek Tung, people show devotion by pouring cooking oil into large vessels, which is then collected and used to keep flames burning for lighting incense sticks and candles.

A ritual practiced by Buddhists is the placing of incense sticks (generally in bundles of three) and candles in large bowls of sand or rice as signs of devotion. Incense and candles are symbols of impermanence, an important aspect of Buddhism. 

Worshippers kneel to pray for good luck and for favorable events. Some, like the woman second from left, shake wooden sticks with numbers that correspond to a written fortune. The person shakes the sticks until one falls out, then goes to a display area that has numbered fortunes. If one does not like the particular fortune they receive, they often try again!

During Chinese new year, the candles (and there are a lot of them!) are typically red, as opposed to the yellow candles seen in other Thai temples. Notice the people holding incense sticks over their heads: it was so crowded in the building that candles and incense were carried high so as to not burn other worshippers.

Many stores were selling traditional paper decorations to be used in various rituals. The gold paper baskets at left are burned in temple incinerators or in metal drums or concrete brasiers at homes. Traditionally, this is meant to give good luck to the spirits of ancestors. It is not a Buddhist practice, but so many Chinese practice it that it is often done at Chinese temples.

The traditional Chinese new year festival is alive and thriving in Bangkok. It is one of the biggest events of the year in this city. If you are coming to Bangkok during the winter months, it is well worth your while to experience the Chinese new year celebration. Bangkok Photo Rambles (FB: @photoramblers) is a good way to see Bangkok behind the scenes.